General Atlantic Enters Nymex Bidding

The New York Mercantile Exchange received a $240 million bid for a 20% equity stake in the exchange from private-equity firm General Atlantic, said people close to Nymex.

The offer from General Atlantic, an $8 billion venture-capital firm in Greenwich, Conn., trumps bids made in recent months by Blackstone Group and Battery Ventures. Those private-equity firms offered $185 million for a 20% stake in Nymex in April and increased the...